


And So it Goes

by AnnaMarieM



Series: As They Sing [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Dimension Travel, Gen, Modern Fantasy, Mystery, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-06 17:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12822549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaMarieM/pseuds/AnnaMarieM
Summary: Following mostly the stories of Rook and Ocissa, two members of the Corvidae family, a large household that has a forgotten history in the more magical side of the world. Rook and Ocissa have turned back to their roots and are tasked with random missions to assist those who belong to The Fifth (the magical world.)Ocissa being new to the world is shocked by the often different nature of the people they meet, including vampire's, witches, thaumaturges, magicians, and so forth.





	1. I

Rook stepped into the market, a feeling of dread accompanying her. She shivered lightly and gazed up at the dim lights, many of them half burnt out, some of them with wires glowing dim violent as they hang on to their last hints of life. A bulb flickered as she stepped in and she breathed in carefully. She stepped forward quickly, wandering the aisles. She stood, staring at a stand of chocolate bars, fluorescent pink light hitting her from the side. Her eyes were wide and she stood still, unsure how to proceed. An employee stepped up to her, pushing a bucket around with the handle of the mob sticking out of it, it shifted around the floor.

“Can I help you with any- oh.” Rook looked up at the girl, she had short violet hair that stuck out in curly chunks behind her headband. She stared at Rook with large eyes- the bright green color of one of the many soft drinks standing behind her on lit shelves, the sign backlighting her with the fluorescent pink light. Rook turned towards her carefully, nodding slightly.

“Temper.” She said softly. The girl squinted her eyes slowly. “Is Joseph here?” Rook asked softly, looking towards the employee door. The rest of the small market was empty. 

“As if. He doesn’t work with us anymore. Karn took over since he left.” Temper replied darkly. “She called them all back... not like he’d talk to you anyway.” Temper finished looking back up the Rook, confused. “What do you need?”

“I lost someone.” Rook replied unhelpfully. Temper sighed and shook her head. She smiled crookedly at Rook, her anxiousness fading and she started humming to herself.

“I look at you and always wonder. All of your family looks the same, your siblings, your parents, your cousins...” Temper started, “Your family has a propensity to do everything to individualize themselves but you seem so normal in comparison.” Temper actually stepped forward and put a hand up slowly, hesitating before placing it on Rook’s face. It might’ve seemed strange, but Temper had a tendency to be strange. Rook relaxed, Temper studied her face, even though she knew it well, she still sometimes found Rook strange. 

The girl looked tired, she looked tired, her eyes had almost lost their shine- looking dull. She had small epicanthic eyes, short dark eyelashes haloing her eyes, so dark that you couldn’t tell where her pupil was in the middle of her iris. When your eyes grew dull like hers they looked more like holes, boring into her head. Temper didn’t know much about the Corvidae family- they were just human, but seemed so much more. The more she spent time with Rook the stranger it seemed. They had faces made to look without anything abnormal about them. She didn’t look boring, the combination of every average trait was more made to look perfect. Straight nose, clean jawline, and those dark straight lined eyes.

Her hair was just as dark, falling over her shoulders over her jacket, melting into it. Temper mused- If Rook zipped up her coat, she would look just like a blackbird. 

The only thing that marked her as different from the rest of her family was the three dark triangular freckles hovering under her left eye. Rook smiled and put a hand up to her ear self-consciously, rubbing her earlobe between her fingers. 

“Well, luckily the rest of my family is busy enough with worrying about their individuality that I’m granted that without putting any work into it.” She replied.

“Visually, not a problem, but I worry you’re too involved with your work...” Temper said, smile slipping.

Rook had tilted her head down but looked up at Temper, her eyes impossibly dark as she looked up through her eyelashes. It made Temper feel like black was a shallow color. Whatever looked at her now was darker and deeper than even that, like the feeling of velvet, or the taste of dark coffee or the contrast of blood against snow. Darker than black. Temper’s heart pattered and she stood straight, bringing the rod of her mop closer to her. Rook nodded quietly in farewell and started towards the door. 

“Well, I can’t help you now, but I can lend you my... assistance when you find what you’re looking for- you seem to need me a lot.” Temper called after her.

“You’re more help than you know Temper, more than you know-” Rook smiled lightly and stepped out the door, the little bell ringing as the door swung shut.  Temper sighed for a second, entranced and confused before she slipped her headphones over her ears and rolled her bucket into the next aisle to continue mopping.

 

Rook jogged back to her truck, glancing back at the convenience store. Not the likely place to find halves like Temper and Karn, but that was better for them. Halves were strange, probably the oddest from the 5th. They weren’t thaumaturges, not magicians, nor where they creatures from the 5th, but rather, as their self-decided name suggest, half our world and half the 5th. Each had an ability, usually not very large and not always terribly useful. They weren’t like superheroes with a dozen some-odd powers to make them powerful. Temper’s- for example- was the ability to manipulate memories. No super strength or flight- She couldn’t stand in a fight if her life was on the line, but nevertheless, a very useful trait- Rook used it often with her job.

She scribbled in a small notebook, the pages warped from water stains, writing a note. If Joseph wasn’t working at the convenience store anymore it was more likely that he had been called back than just finding another job. Rook couldn’t just go to the KING and demand to talk with him, the KING had no fondness for Rook and wasn’t averse to letting that be known, but she did have a fondness for Viola, for whatever reason. Rook closed her eyes and nodded. She twisted the key in the ignition and the engine of the truck roared to life before she zoomed off, tail lights flickering as she went.


	2. II

A knock sounded at the door, first starting soft but quickly developing into a harsh rapping. Rook closed her eyes in annoyance, wishing the rapping away but sighed and rolled off the bed to her feet and stepped towards the door, pulling it open. A mirrored face greeted her, the same eyes, though brighter, same nose, same everything. A brother, younger- he was several inches shorter than Rook.

“Pica-!” Rook exclaimed, surprised. She had expected to find her sister there but was pleased not to. Pica smiled up at her. He was quieter- though truth be told the whole family was generally quiet, he however as a refreshing difference, was pleasantly optimistic, as shown by the smile breaking across his face. His eyes squinted at the corners, his round cheeks (he was still young) growing along with his smile.

“Keep going and soon your smile will be too big for your face- Your round cheeks will have to stay forever!” Rook teased him, remarking to herself that she wouldn’t really mind- his smiles and his cheeks were a pleasant difference to the often somber expressions of those older in the family.

“My eyes will never grow dull-” Pica replied, not sure if he thought it good or bad.

“I sure hope not,” Rook said back, unable to keep back a smile of her own. “What is it you need?” She asked. Pica’s smiled faded and he straightened up immediately, looking up at Rook worried.

“Uro asked for you.” He said slowly, twisting his hands. Rook looked up over his head, sighing to herself quietly.  At seeing his frown at her behavior Rook crouched down and smiled brightly at Pica, ruffling his hair again.

“Don’t worry there- just go run to breakfast, I'll see you soon.” Pica nodded, obviously not believing her, but understanding nonetheless. He raced off down the hall, his feet pattering against the wood flooring.

 

Rook stepped forward silently, sliding open the paper door. On each corner of the room sat a girl, head down and silent, guardians you could say. The heads of the family viewed it as a huge honor to sit as Uro’s gatekeepers, but Rook was glad she’d never been chosen. She didn’t know why, Uro often asked her if she had wanted that opportunity, practically begging her to take it, but the job wasn’t a voluntary choice, it was a task. She had never been given it, by Uro’s own doing. She attributed the seeming juxtaposition of will to Uro’s own strange seeming ideas. In the room now, years after the girls had originally been chosen she looked out of place. There was a sense of visual over-the-top-ness, but it felt hollow. Rook disliked Uro, not because he was powerful, but rather because he wasn’t. As the oldest member of the family, he was treated as being the most intelligent and doing the most for the family when in fact no one in the family knew hardly anything about him but took his vague poetic words as a count for something.  

The man himself was gone, vanished from the room absurdly. The room was darker than usual, the majority of the candles without flames. The remaining ones weren’t enough to dispel the bluish light of the morning sun, shining pale squares through the windows on the wooden panel floors. Rook looked up slowly, confused.

“Uro asked for me.” Rook said coldly, looking around.

“I asked for you.” A voice replied from the back of the room. Rook twisted, shocked at the voice. In the back of the room a figure stood- one of the girls.

“Ocissa...what is this-” Rook started, voice soft. The girl stepped forward silently, looking up at Rook.

“It’s been long since I've seen you last. I would’ve considered you a friend in our youth, but for so long I’ve had this one intention.” Ocissa gestured to the other girls, they started to stand and step closer.

Rook squinted her eyes briefly, unsure.

“For four years I have done nothing but sit here by Uro’s side and look pretty. Perhaps earlier in our families generations, the Uro needed guards, but that is no longer. We used to pick the Uro based on power and merit and wisdom, but this Uro has none of that- he only became Uro because of laziness and cunning.”

“But I have started listening to your quiet warnings of his plague on this family.... But the family hasn’t done much to avoid plague. We do nothing, toiling away at this miserable life, not with any real intent. They say that to be a guard of Uro is an honor, and I fell for it four years ago, falling into this position with glee, but look at us now” She waved again at her sisters in the force. They all nodded silently, looking up at Rook.

“You have always had much to say, in your quiet, short way. It made our parents afraid. They didn’t want to hear the things you had to say and steered us away from you and your father. He had never forgotten the old intention of our family and neither have you- but we have. I want to remember it all.”

“I... I don’t understand...” Rook said slowly.

“The fifth right? I... I finally remembered... I needed to know- I couldn’t live any longer sure that there was a secret just sitting out of my reach. I...I employed Pica to take one of your hundreds of notebooks from your room and read it- it was one of your earliest I discovered- it mostly just explained about the fifth, although I admit I understood very little of it...” Ocissa blushed, both from the confession and her own apparent naivety. She stopped for a second and looked up to Rook. Rook stood still, but her eyes were unfocused towards the floor. Ocissa stepped forward and touched Rook’s arm gently bringing her back to attention.

“So?” She said softly.

“So what- you’ve told me lots, but asked me nothing. What do you need from me?” Rook asked harshly, looking up at Ocissa. Ocissa flinched vaguely, and Rook backed up, expression softened.

“My entire life I have only done what the family was supposed to- I learned everything about  The Fifth, I was the only one who held the responsibility of our family, and I have been ostracized for it. Now you come along wanting it?” Rook explained. Ocissa sighed, her chest rising and falling as she listened.

“I don’t have an excuse, I know I was part of them, but I hope to change your perception of me. I want to learn about The Fifth, can you teach me?” Ocissa asked, eyes shining in the candlelight. That hit Rook hair, she watched the warm flames reflected in her eyes and knew they wouldn’t in her own.  

The concept of teaching her was strange. Rook had been alone all her life, most of all regarding her family, however a part of her lingered- she wanted to teach, wanted someone to discuss this with.

“It would take more than just listening and studying- as you could see...” Rook paused and cracked a smile, obviously surprising Ocissa who had never seen her smile before. “But you would need to come with me- field work you could say.”

“I- of course, I would love to-” Ocissa started, the nervousness about her disappearing. Rook nodded promptly and pulled a small notebook from her pocket and scribbled a note, handing it to Ocissa.

“Change into something more reasonable and meet me in an hour by the pepper tree. If you change your mind, don’t but make sure that your intent is solid, there is no backing out of this.” Rook smiled firmly and nodded before whisking from the room, her coat flying behind her. Ocissa clutched the notebook paper- crumpling it in her hand a bit.


	3. III

She stood by the pepper tree, gazing up at the branches. The silver sliver leaves were spotted by millions of peppercorns, bunched together in clusters. It was in an oriental garden at the side of the house, hosting many trees that wouldn’t grow naturally in this climate. Ocissa enjoyed the tree, but waited impatiently, not taking in the trees but watching for Rook’s truck.  Just as she looked to the dirt path a truck came rolling in, dust floating up behind the wheels and Rook pulled onto the dirt pathway, dark truck covered in a layer of dust. Rook stuck her head out of the window as she pulled up, smiling a bit at Ocissa. Ocissa couldn’t help but grin as she saw Rook. She waved and the truck pulled to a stop, Ocissa ran around the front and pulled herself into the passenger's seat. Rook looked her down as she pulled the seatbelt over her lap and laughed lightly.

“What?” Ocissa looked up at her in confusion.

“I... You wouldn’t really understand. You’ve lived your whole life here in the family house, where our naturally strange aura poses no problem, you wouldn’t have even realized, but now almost just on a whim you are coming out of the home, with me. It’s going to shock you more than you think.” Rook laughed again and pulled back out of the driveway, truck rumbling against the dirt road. It was silent, they both listened to the music played over the radio, turned down quietly, the road stay a dirt path for a long while, fields, and forest on either side, the odd house popping up. Eventually, the path turned onto a paved road and small shops pop up alongside turn off for neighborhoods.

“Where are we going?” Ocissa asked.

“It matters more what we are doing.” Rook started. “Here’s a bit of background. A little bit ago I was working in a high school on a different case and was working with someone- Joseph Westerfall.  Unfortunately, one of the students has become quite enraptured with him, she even found out what he is... Now she’s gone missing and I have to find her- before she does something incredibly stupid based off some horrible teenage ideal of romance...” Rook shook her head- obviously frustrated.

“Wait wait- _what_ he was?” Ocissa turned to look at Rook “What _is_ he?!” Ocissa watched Rook intently.

“Aaah- He is a vampire- not like the ones you’ve heard in the stories though. As you know, all the ‘creatures’ we have are bit bleeding over from The Fifth. You would assume that a vampire would be an actual creature from The Fifth, just lept into our world, like some of the more abstract creatures, but instead, it’s like a virus or infection. There are two things called vampires- unfortunately, because general humanity likes to use terms incorrectly. Technically a proper vampire is a dark shadowy half-being that fades days after falling into our world. However in the short time that it does live, it can infect a person, turning it into something else- the vampire you think of. They feel sick for days and there skin and hair and eyes will grow pale. They will starve to death, trying to curb an insatiable hunger but unable to with regular food. Of course- they don’t actually die- but the human part of them does- their heart stops, their entire life force stops. People like you or I are supposedly animated by our souls or some unknown force. Vampires lost that force when they ‘died’, but that infection changed their physiology enough that they are kept from rotting away and falling to the ground by ingesting blood. In that way, they are imprisoning their own souls, though I doubt they really think about it in that way.

The virus that infected them really is a weak one- many of the virus’s or monsters from the fifth target or seek for the concept of life. Because The Fifth is- by definition, too unstable to really maintain the same sort of life that exists her- it’s somewhat of a half-life. The Vampire’s Infection is one that sought after life through color and blood- draining color and blood from its victims, but not properly removing their “life” or their soul. The same desire infects Vampires, forcing them to take blood (i.e. the most color from someone) in order to remain alive.”

Ocissa’s smile had faded in concentration as she listened to Rook.

“Are we meeting with Joseph today?” She asked after a moment of silence.

“Hopefully- but I kind of doubt we will. You see- aside from all the actual physiology of a vampire- they have a lot of culture about them. After the last case, many of the Vampires in this location were called back by KING- Joseph included. I doubt very much that we’ll be able to talk to him without any difficulty. I can’t go to the house and demand his attention, that would place him in danger, however, Viola is still on the outside. That’s where we are going- to meet with her. She is a younger Vampire, and a particular favorite of KING, allowed more time on the outside, mostly to just serve KING.”

“How do you know where to find her?” Ocissa asked in awe at everything. Rook looked at her silently and smiled crookedly.

“I texted her...” Rook replied, pulling off onto the dirt parking lot of a whole-food market.

“Oh- I had guessed-”

“Something grander?” Rook smirked and parked the truck, popping open the door and stepping out, followed by Ocissa on the opposite side, staring up at the market, the dust from the truck slowly dissipating.


	4. IV

She tugged down her skirt after stepping out, the corduroy shifting up while she stepped down from the truck.

“Yea, maybe next time wear pants. If not only for the truck, what I do is often unpredictable.” Rook paused while she waited for Ocissa, the girl finishing in adjusting the collar of her jacket. She rolled her eyes but started to follow Rook, straightening her sleeves. 

“Why would vampires be at a whole-foods market?” Ocissa asked, jogging to catch up with Rook. 

“They wouldn’t generally be- however many street market style places have somewhat of an underground system for vampires and the like. It’s very likely Viola’s actually here to do some shopping, or at the very least to pick something up for KING.” Rook walked forward confidently in between the different vendors. She stopped in front of a food truck- Italian food. Ocissa frowned. 

“I th-”

“No they aren’t  _ allergic  _ to garlic, that’s a myth, though I guess they don’t really eat it either... they are more... intolerant to any food- they get super sick from eating normal food- and it doesn’t provide anything, so the only reason they’d eat it is taste, which is more common than you’d think. The reason the truck is an Italian food place is just their own sense of hilarious irony.”

“Amazing- they have jokes,” Ocissa smirked. A handful of voices sounded from the other side of the truck, growing nearer until a handful of people stepped around. 

“Oh, Rook!” One of the girls called out, a grin spreading across her face. “ _ Viola _ ” Ocissa realized and looked the girl up and down. She was small, with pin straight hair, a dark brown, bangs cut to frame her face gently. She had dark eyes, small and epicanthic like Ocissa’s own, but a warmer lighter brown. She smiled at Ocissa, a grin spreading across her cheeks. Viola laced the bag she held over one arm, sticking the other out in greeting, shaking Ocissa’s hand. 

“I’m Viola, I don’t think we’ve met, although with your family I guess I wouldn’t be all that sure.” She grinned and turned to Rook, taking her hand as well. 

“I haven’t seen you in so long!”

“You would have seen me earlier if you had worked with me and Joseph on the last case,”  Rook said, sounding bitter. Viola’s shoulders fell abruptly and she sighed.

“I couldn’t- I was... busy.” Viola returned.

“With what- with this?!” Rook said, frustration ebbing through her voice, she gestured at the young woman standing at Viola’s side, her head down this entire time. She looked up suddenly, light fear in her eyes. She had pale ashy hair, pulled back in a ponytail and a military-style cap over her head, shading her eyes. They were strange, though Ocissa only saw them for a moment. Pale, almost white, even the pupil, but a slight tinge of a faint orange, seemingly ebbing in and out, but they seemed more like an illusion than the actual color. Ocissa blinked rapidly, but the girl turned her head back down before she could look again. 

“I- yes...” Viola responded quietly. Rook’s eyes softened.

“Was she turned or infected?” Rook asked quietly. 

“Turned, but it’s different than normal- she was-”

“Sh-! Not here. I need to talk with Joseph anyway, we’ll meet back at the estate. 

“Only on the outskirts. I’ll explain, but in times like these KING isn’t going to want you there. Joseph will meet us there a bit later.” Viola said. “Pale-roots.” she said as way of explanation. “I’ll see you there.” She gathered her bag carefully and nodded to Rook, swinging a key around her finger before stepping off, the other girl quickly in tow. 

Rook and Ocissa quickly walked to their own car, getting in silently. 

Rook drove for several minutes- silent. Ocissa gazed at her, wanting to ask, but unsure how to start. 

“I... we haven’t had a turned in so long, I was hoping that we’d come past it. Basically, the only intent of Vampires any longer is to prevent The Hunger.”

Ocissa looked at her briefly.

“The Hunger... how to explain. I already said earlier that they are born with an insatiable hunger. That remains. They feed, but eventually without eating they will succumb to The Hunger- it will overtake them, making them less and less humane. They can’t control their bloodlust, they kill without thought or regret. It is usually the only times that someone is turned. The parasite that lives in a vampire wants to grow, so during those times of hunger, it infects. We try in everything we do to prevent The Hunger from ever even happening, trying to satisfy it before it turns into something worse. 

The fact that someone has been turned... it means bad things. It could be one of the Vampires held by KING, but more likely it’s a rouge. That in itself could mean detrimental things.” 

Ocissa looked at her again, worry on her face.

“We need to figure out the girl’s story.” Rook nodded, face forward as she pulled into a long driveway. It was bordered by trees, the entire estate covered with them, They pulled by many buildings, finally stopping by a small house on the southeastern corner of the estate. Another car sat in front of it- Rook and Ocissa jumped out of the truck, Rook knocked on the door and it was opened, by none other than Viola herself. She smiled weakly and let them in. 

“I need to take care of Asa’s injuries, but we can talk about everything in the meantime.” She paused- looking at Ocissa uncomfortably. “Uh- so w-...we can still get injured. We still bleed, but our hearts don’t beat. The parasite pumps our blood for us. Blood loss makes us hungrier and hungrier, so it won’t really kill us, the starvation would... hypothetically.” Viola explained hesitantly, seeming unsure. She turned and continued, pulling a stool over to the middle of the room. The girl from earlier-Asa sat down and tossed her hat down, pulling off her shirt. Ocissa gasped lightly, Asa’s torso was covered in bandages, wrapping around her chest, her left shoulder, her chest. Asa sat silently and Viola started to unwind the bandages, revealing torn skin and ragged wounds, bite marks looking more like a rabid animal than the classic two-hole bite marks that Ocissa remembered from films. She stepped forward, shocked, almost reaching out to touch Asa’s shoulder. 

“Yea- The Hunger it-” She shuddered, finding Asa’s wounds to be explanation enough. Rook put a hand on her shoulder, smiling briefly.

“How did you find her?” She asked, changing the conversation. 

“I- I got a report of a supposed “rabid animal” from an ally. They had gotten a tip from the person in the apartment building below, they went to go check it out, Gladly didn’t get too close- found her there. I went immediately. That actually was where I was when you asked me and Joseph on the case. I got there and she-” Viola gestured, taking off the last of the bandages, tossing them in a garbage can. “Was ripping up the place. Luckily she was too weak just from her previous life to properly escape- before she had fully turned she had locked herself in the apartment. I reached her right in time, I fed her, and took her here.” She explained. “Her darling, can you put this on her wounds-” She intersected, handing Ocissa a small Tupperware with a milky salve in it. “Not too thick, but enough to cover all of it.” 

“Since I've just been trying to figure out what happened- I mean- look at her- she-” She stopped suddenly, interrupted by Asa herself, whispering softly. 

“Please please I-” Her face contorted in pain, she grimaced. “Hungry--” 

“Ah!” Viola jumped into action, rummaging through a bag on the counter. She pulled out and almost dropped a bundle of plastic bags- Ocissa realized they were blood transfusion bags. She took one and connected it to a short tube and handed it to Asa who took it greedily and drank it- through the improvised straw. 

“Like a juice box...” Ocissa giggled lightly as she continued to rub the salve over Asa’s wounds. 

“Yeah, we don’t get that much usage out of our teeth nowadays...” Viola grinned, laughing as well. 

“Your...!” Ocissa stared at Viola’s smile. Viola laughed and smiled again. She had two longer pairs of teeth on her upper jaw, and on on the bottom, each quoted in smaller sharper teeth that continued deeper into her mouth. Rook smiled softly at Ocissa, before turning back to Viola

“What happened after you took her? Have you told KING yet? Joseph?” Rook started forward, Viola frowned slowly. 

“I did tell KING, that’s why Joseph is with her now.” Rook sighed as Viola told her. Viola tsked when she did, “You may not like her, but she knows more what to do than you.” Rook shook her head lightly but smiled briefly before turning to Asa, “And what is your story?” Asa looked up at her, her lips still tight over the straw she had. Rook stared back unflinchingly, as the liquid bubbled through the tube, almost black in the dark lighting. Asa nodded, sitting up straighter, and setting aside her drink, clearing her throat to start her story.


End file.
